Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1816, 1887-1896, 1966
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POSY, n. Also posie. Sc. usages:
1. A term of endearment for a child or a woman, a darling, sweetheart; sometimes sarcastically of an ill-favoured woman: "some beauty."Edb. 1816 W. Glass Songs of Edina 18:
Ye promist me last Halloween, When ye ca'd me your posie, Ye'd gang nae mair to Lauder's Jean.Kcb. 1896 Crockett Grey Man lii.:
You will not see your posy till she comes in to the minister and you.wm.Sc. 1966:
I saw her, an' she's a posy.Kcb. 1966
2. Ironically, an unpleasant smell, a nasty odour.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr. Duguid 87:
The posies which cam oot from some of the jawboxes and reeking closes and stairs in the High Street.
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"Posy n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/posy>
